Project LifeSaver offered in county

Project Lifesaver, a program which provides an emergency location service for at-risk patients with cognitive disorders, is now being offered by the Alzheimer’s Alliance Tri State to Cass County residents after a motion to approve this service was made in Commissioner’s Court on Tuesday, February 27.

Terrie Arnold with the Alzheimer’s Alliance presented the project. Originally beginning in 1999, Project Lifesaver is an international program that provides tracking bracelets to individuals who fit certain at-risk criteria.

The program has recently expanded to Bowie, Miller and now Cass County.

The bracelets emit individualized frequencies to law enforcement and rescue agencies. That makes it possible to track individuals with cognitive conditions who wander. Terrie Arnold stated to the court on Tuesday, “The purpose of this program is to provide life saving resources for persons with cognitive disorders.” Cognitive disorders include Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, as well as autism and Down syndrome.

A large reason for the program is to Reduce man hours for search and rescue. Each bracelet has a unique identifying number for each patient that receives one. That number is used by first responders to locate them digitally. Dispatchers and responding officers will also be able to access the same locator features. Search times can be cut down from hours and days to just twenty minutes. Terrie Arnold told the court, “the goal is peace of mind for our caregivers, safety for those with cognitive disorders and reducing man hours for search and rescue.”

At-risk criteria includes those with cognitive disorders that do not have access to a vehicle. To qualify for the bracelets, the patient must also not live alone. To date, Project Lifesaver has enabled over 4,200 people to be rescued internationally, according to a news release from the Texarkana Alzheimer’s Alliance.

Interested members of the community should contact the Alzheimer’s Alliance Tri State to learn more or visit the website at https://projectlifesaver.org/ for general information about the program.